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After only seven months on the market, WatchGuard’s APT Blocker was voted Advanced Persistent Threat Solution of the Year, competing against products such as FireEye, Fortinet’s FortiSandbox, and Palo Alto’s WildFire.

APT Blocker takes over where AV protection leaves off. It delivers real-time threat visibility and protection in minutes, not hours, focusing on behavioral analysis to determine if a file is malicious.

New! APT Blocker Promotion – Now our customers can trade in a competitor’s security product for a one-year or three-year UTM or Next Generation Firewall Bundle (Model 330 and higher) and receive one-year of APT Blocker for FREE. This is a terrific opportunity for our customers to have award-winning protection from advanced malware without spending a penny more.

Verteks Consulting is proud to be an AirWatch partner and we’re excited about AirWatch’s leading position in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Mobility Management. Every year, Gartner evaluates enterprise mobility management providers based on their ability to execute and completeness of vision. Vendors are then placed on a quadrant to represent their position in the market. Of the more than 100 companies in the EMM space, only five vendors were recognized in the Leaders quadrant. This is the fourth consecutive year we are recognized as a LEADER, receiving the HIGHEST position for our ability to execute for the second consecutive year.

The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Mobility Management was called the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Mobile Device Management Software from 2011-2013. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

The WatchGuard Certified System Professional-XTM (WCSP-XTM) exam certifies that individuals who pass the test are competent in the installation, configuration, management, and monitoring of a WatchGuard XTM device with Fireware XTM OS. The courseware and exam reference WatchGuard System Manager management software.

Individuals that take this test also confirm their knowledge of the fundamentals of network security, WatchGuard System Manager management software, and Fireware XTM configuration tools.

Congratulations to Chris for learning this material, taking the test and earning his certification!

We’ve recently seen an increase in CryptoLocker infections. CryptoLocker is a “ransomware” application that encrypts your files without your knowledge, and then holds you hostage for $300 to unlock them. If you don’t pay, you lose your files.

The malware is spread via an email containing a zip file. If you download the zip file, the double executable file, disguised as a *.pdf.exe runs, and it’s game over.

If you receive an email that looks like the one below, don’t open it. Contact the person that sent it and try to ascertain if it’s legitimate or not before proceeding.

Employees using their own mobile devices for work may seem like a good idea at first – it's less expense for you, the employer, and they can also make employees more productive. However, it also means that you are allowing potentially unsecure devices to access your company's data. The solution? An effective IT security policy that balances personal freedom to use these devices and your need to secure important business information.

As technology continues to become more affordable and accessible to consumers, it's an inevitable fact that employers will see more and more of their employees using their own personal devices such as laptops and mobile phones to access the company's IT system.

This can be a dangerous thing. Since these devices aren't company owned and regulated, you have limited access and control over how they are used. Employees could download all sorts of malware and viruses on their devices and pass the infection along to your IT system when they access it.

The solution: a comprehensive IT security policy. It's important that you find a compromise between the freedom of the employee to use the device as desired and your need to keep your IT system safe from viruses and other threats to your data's security. Steps such as having employees run mobile device management (MDM) software on their devices is one of many actions you can take to lessen the risk of security breaches. You may also want to implement applications and software that check and screen for malware, both for laptops and mobile devices. And don't forget that while Android seems to have a bigger problem with malicious software, Apple isn't exactly virus-free, either.

Employees have a right to use their personal devices as they see fit, but not at the expense of important company information stored in your IT system. Running a tight ship in terms of security is an effective way to protect your business interests and your sensitive company data. If you are interested in knowing more about developing a concrete and effective IT security policy for personal device use as well as general system access, please don't hesitate to give us a call so we can sit down with you and discuss a custom security blueprint that's just right for you.